Luggage fittings



Nov. 17, 1964 w. E. CHANCE LUGGAGE FITTINGS Filed Oct. 10, 1962 INVINTQK.

A/munn EKNEST 1mm:

United States Patent 3,157,419 LUGGAGE FITIZNGS William E. Chance, Hockley, Birmingham, England, as-

signor to C. W. Cheney & Son Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Filed Oct. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 229,606 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 31, 1961,

6 Claims. (01. 292-281) This invention relates to luggage fittings of the type comprising a hasp which is mounted on one part of the fitting and is releasably engageable with another part of the fitting. Often the hasp carries a staple or loop which may be engaged with a spring-loaded bolt in the said other part, and frequently the bolt-can be locked in position by a key-operated mechanism.

Many different designs of fittings are manufactured, and to enable the fittings to be made at an economical price it is desirable that they shall be assembled from or consist of metal pressings; furthermore, it is necessary that the fittings shall present a smooth and streamlined exterior and preferably not only hide any mechanism but also any fixing means, in order to satisfy public taste and also avoid sharp corners and the like which may tear or damage clothes which may come into contact with the fittings.

The invention is particularly concerned with fittings of the kind (hereinafter called the kind referred to) in which the hasp is formed from a pair of metal pressings, one of which (called the cover) is visible when the hasp is engaged with the other part, andthe other of which (called the loop plate) carries the staple, loop or other engaging means and is also secured to the said cover.

The object of the present invention is to provide an impro ped fitting which is cheaper to manufacture and stronger in use.

In accordance with the invention, the pair of metal pressings forming the hasp of a fitting of the kind referred to each include a base and side-walls, the sidewalls of the loop plate fit between the side-walls of the cover and are formed with apertures adjacent the base thereof, the cover having integral tabs extending from the free edges of its side-walls which are folded onto the base of the loop plate and pass through said apertures.

By these means, relative movement of the two pressings is prevented, and it is possible to make the loop plate relatively short in the direction of the length of the side-walls, instead of making the two pressings and substantially equal length as has heretofore been the practice.

The apertures may extend into the base, so that the tube can lie in the plane of the base when the hasp is assembled, or if desired the base may be formed with recesses aligned with and opening from the apertures, in which the tabs may lie.

In order that the invention may be better understood and carried into practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a complete luggage fitting;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the hasp alone of the fitting;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the hasp as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 4 and 5 are perspective views of two parts of the hasp, on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation of one part of the hasp, on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line of FIG- URE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is an end elevation looking in the direction of arrow VIII of FIGURE 6.

The luggage fitting shown in the drawing comprises an attachment plate 10 which is generally rectangular and has a side-wall 11 extending along one longer edge and two end edges, and is formed with a pair of holes 12 to receive fixing screws or the like. The end edges are formed into eyes adjacent the second long edge to journal a pivot pin 13 extending between the eyes.

A hasp, generally indicated at 14, is hinged to the pivot pin and comprises a cover 15 having a base with integral opposed side-walls 16 and an end wall 17. The side-walls are formed into eyes 18 (FIGURE 4) at their ends opposite to the end-wall 17 and the pin 13 fits through these eyes.

A coil spring 19 with opposite end legs 20, 21 splayed radially of the spring fits on the pin and one leg 20 engages the inside of the base of the cover between the side-walls, whereas the other 21 engages the outside of the base of the attachment plate, and urges the two parts 10, 14, which are metal pressings, away from a position in which the hasp overlies the attachment plate, to aposition in which the two parts make an angle with one another, e.g. as shown most clearly in FIG- URE 3.

Marginal zones 22, 23 of the two parts 10, 14 adjacent the pin are curved so as to surround the pin and spring and substantially hide them from view.

The hasp also comprises a pressed metal loop plate generally indicated at 25 which fits inside the cover, occupying the full width thereof between side-walls 16 but extending from the end wall 17 substantially less than half way towards the hinge pin 13. The loop plate 25 has side-walls 26 and end-walls 27 formed integrally therewith which, in the case of the end-walls 27 fit snugly against and between the cover side-walls 16, the free edges 28 (FIGURE 8) of the said side-walls and endwalls of the loop plate seating against the inside of the base of the cover.

The loop plate carries :a staple 36 in the form of an arched strip of metal having ends spigoted through holes in its base and riveted over. The said base of the loop plate is formed with two D-shaped pressed recesses 31 (FIGURES 5-8) having their straight edges aligned with the end-walls and lying close thereto, and with two slots 32 pierced through the metal prior to pressing up the side and endwalls so as to remove material lying between the straight edge of each recess and the adjacent end wall. Each slot 32 constitutes an aperture in the corresponding side wall 27 adjacent the base of the loop plate and extending into said base, as will be seen from FIGURE 7. The slots 32 are of equal length to the said straight edges and their width is such that the outer surface 33 of the floor of each recess can and does lie wholly in the plane containing the remainder of the underside or inner surface 34 of the base, as best seen in FIGURE 7.

The cover of the hasp is formed with a pair of semicircular tabs 36 formed integrally with the side-walls 16 of the part 15, and these tabs are folded into the recesses in the base of the loop plate so as to lie on the outside thereof, but with the upper and lower surfaces of the tabs lying in the same planes as the upper and lower surfaces of the base of the said loop plate. This means that relative movement between the two parts (as for example when the fitting is assembled to a suitcase and the staple is engaged by a bolt in a lock part 37, FIGURE 1, and strain is put on the staple) is pre vented not only by the edges of the tabs 36 abutting the walls of the recesses (for such walls are necessarily in clined slightly to the normal of the base and under load, would permit some movement if not otherwise re- Patented Nov. 17., 1964 stricted) but also by these edges of the tabs making edgeto-edge contact with the square edges 37 (FIGURE 8) left by the piercing operation when the slots are formed. The latter edges. are easily made square to the planes of the base surfaces, and resist movement without any tendency for theedges to slide on one another.

Itwill be noted that in the FIGURE 1 position, the attachment plate 10 is accommodated substantially wholly within the cover plate of the hasp. 'By arranging for the widths of plates 10 and 25 to equal the length of the hasp, additional strength is imparted to the fitting; however, due to the advantages of thev squared edges which promote strength, this is not essential, and both plates 10 and 25 can be of minimum widths;

I claim:

1. Aplujggage fitting comprising a hasp adapted'to be mounted on an article of luggage and engageable with a second part of the fitting, said hasp including a pair of metal pressings, a first of said pressings constituting a cover and .being visible when the hasp is engaged with said second part of the fitting, a second of said pressings constituting a loop-plate and carrying means engageable with said second partwof the fitting, said loop plate being secured to said coverjsaid cover and loop plate each comprising a base and side-walls, wherein the sidewalls of the loop plate fit between the side-walls of the cover and are formed with apertures adjacent the base of the 'loop plate, the cover having integral tabs which extend t 4' from the free edges of its side walls, pass through said apertures, and are folded on to the base ofthe loop plate.

2. A fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apertures extend from the side walls into the base of the loop plate and the tabs lie in the plane of said base.

3. A fitting asfclaimed in claim 1 wherein the base of the loop plate is formed with "recesses aligned with and opening from the apertures, and the tabs lie in said recesses.

4. A fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base'of each recess is substantially coplanar with the opposite faee of the loop plate adjacent the recesses.

5. A fitting as claimed in claim '1 wherein an attachment plate for the hasp is accommodated wholly in the cover plate of the hasp when the fitting is engaged with 2,637,584 Atkinson 47..-- May S, 196 3 FOREIGN PATENTS 130,135 Australia Jan. '4; 1949 

1. A LUGGAGE FITTING COMPRISING A HASP ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON AN ARTICLE OF LUGGAGE AND ENGAGEABLE WITH A SECOND PART OF THE FITTING, SAID HASP INCLUDING A PAIR OF METAL PRESSINGS, A FIRST OF SAID PRESSINGS CONSTITUTING A COVER AND BEING VISIBLE WHEN THE HASP IS ENGAGED WITH SAID SECOND PART OF THE FITTING, A SECOND OF SAID PRESSINGS CONSTITUTING A LOOP-PLATE AND CARRYING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SECOND PART OF THE FITTING, SAID LOOP PLATE BEING SECURED TO SAID COVER, SAID COVER AND LOOP PLATE EACH COMPRISING A BASE AND SIDE-WALLS, WHEREIN THE SIDE-WALLS OF THE LOOP PLATE FIT BETWEEN THE SIDE-WALLS OF THE COVER AND ARE FORMED WITH APERTURES ADJACENT THE BASE OF THE LOOP PLATE, THE COVER HAVING INTEGRAL TABS WHICH EXTEND FROM THE FREE EDGES OF ITS SIDE WALLS, PASS THROUGH SAID APERTURES, AND ARE FOLDED ON TO THE BASE OF THE LOOP PLATE. 